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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27379669">The Most Cursed of Hands</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/magpiemochi/pseuds/magpiemochi'>magpiemochi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Compilation of Final Fantasy VII</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anal Sex, Angst, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Torture, Tragedy, future smut, smut in later chapters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:22:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,318</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27379669</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/magpiemochi/pseuds/magpiemochi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when Rufus Shinra's most trusted Turk &amp; lover turns traitor and attempts to destroy everything in his path? Nothing good, that's for sure. Rude sides with Tseng, Reno attempts to heal Rufus inside and out - but will anyone ever feel actual happiness again?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Reno/Rufus Shinra, Rufus Shinra/Tseng</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Blood in the Water</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Licking his wounds like a dog for his master. Hands are stained with crimson, bathwater shines red. He's careful with the man, both physically and emotionally. No questions, no talking. No words are shared between them even still. Reno hadn't said anything other than a panicked intrigue of his physical state when he had found Rufus in that dark, dank basement. Even as he carried him to the chopper. Even as they were up above, hovering over civilization —- waiting. For what? An answer. Any answer. Rufus was unresponsive, Reno had no other support; he had to continually glance over at Rufus while also paying attention to the controls so that they didn't crash. It was a shit show and a half, but he had to stay strong despite not knowing what happened.</p><p class="p2">Who could have done this? <em>Why</em>? And where was Tseng?</p><p class="p2">Questions waited for answers that Reno never in his life wanted to hear. He wanted to deny it, to scream in their faces: the grunts who offered him a more eye-witness account upon reaching the ground. <em>Not Tseng</em>, he breathed out as if it would be his last exhale, <em>it couldn't have been Tseng</em>.</p><p class="p2">Oh, but he knew better.</p><p class="p2">After all, he had been the one to warn Rufus in the beginning. He was the one who endured the President screaming in his face, dismissing him with venom in those pretty fangs of his. He never took a bite, but now Reno was wishing he had. Death would have been better than this gruesome reality. Remembering the hints, the cryptic way Tseng spoke of his life and his own future and shrugging it off with a kind smile when approached about it. <em>Reno knew better</em>, but he didn't <em>want</em> to. Still, he went to Rufus each time he had a bad feeling.</p><p class="p2">He wondered, as nimble fingers wash away the blood caked on his skin, if perhaps Rufus had been thinking about it too. All of those signs: ignored. Reno wouldn't dare ask, but still he wondered.</p><p class="p2">“Rude went with him." Reno speaks at last. It wasn't what he wanted to say, but it was the one thing at the forefront of his mind. “S’what they told me, at least." Hard to believe, and the thought alone made him choke, but anything was possible now. Tseng made that perfectly clear, and so he had to wonder if he and Rude had been planning it all along.</p><p class="p2"><em>Oh</em>.</p><p class="p2">That thought hurt him more than the act itself. If they had been planning it, then how long? He had to wonder just how long Rude had been planning to betray him.</p><p class="p2">“Wouldn't doubt if they had more eyes too, y'know. Probably seen me escape with you." It’s not what he wants to talk about, but the President's safety was his number one concern now. <em>He was Tseng now</em>.</p><p class="p2">That particular notion made him flinch away, grimacing at his own thought. No, he was nothing like Tseng. Tseng was a fucking traitor. All the honor and bullshit he spoke about all the time. What honor is there in betrayal? No, he wasn't Tseng. He was Reno. But now his primary focus was making sure Rufus was okay. Making sure he would live, making sure he was safe. Now until the day he died —- <em>now until the end of time</em>. He would be dammed if he let another thing happen to him. He would make it right. He would make all of it right. <em>Tseng be dammed</em>.</p><p class="p2">Then, there's a quiet noise. The first noise he's heard out of Rufus since getting him into the tub. It's subtle, what he assumed was a gasp and then he pretends to ignore the tears brimming Rufus’ eyes. Well, that certainly changed things. Reno wanted to leave, not in general of course, just the room. To give him the privacy he deserved, to grieve in silence.</p><p class="p2">He thinks back again. Breaking down the door, walking down the creaking stairs, smelling nothing but mildew and blood. Turning on the light had been a bad idea. It was like opening the door to his worst nightmare. As if he had merely been dreaming —- <em>he had seen it before, after all.</em> That exact scene. His nightmare becoming a reality, and as he sped to the President, a piece of metal caught his attention. On the table in front of where Rufus had been tied, a plethora of different bloodstained tools sat, but near them was a piece of jewelry. A ring, gold in color. Expensive.</p><p class="p2"><em>Sentimental</em>.</p><p class="p2">And without thinking, Reno swiped it up and shoved it into his pocket.</p><p class="p2">Now, in the present time, he fiddles with it in his pocket as his other hand reaches up again to clean the blood from Rufus' hair. He begins to scrutinize a little harder now, eyes trailing along every inch of him until his hands are in view. <em>Ah, that's where he had seen it before</em>... The matching rings. <em>Sentiment</em>.</p><p class="p2">Suddenly, Reno feels even worse for him, but he continues to remain stoic. <em>Strong</em>. If only for Rufus. If he could, he would erase Tseng from his memory. He would go back in time and end his life before it even truly began. Why did tseng deserve life? Why did he deserve to live and leave everything he ever knew in shambles? To destroy it all without a second thought. To hurt everyone who had ever loved him in any way; <em>why</em>?</p><p class="p2">“Gods, <strong><em>fuck</em></strong> him." He doesn't mean to vocalize the thought. He doesn't want to do this, not now, not in front of Rufus. So, he purses his lips and removes his hand from the pocket with that damn ring in it in order to pay more attention to the man in front of him. With both hands now, Reno runs his fingers through hair, uncaring of the blood caking it and now his digits as a result of the action. “S’gonna be okay, boss.” Who knew the next statement spoken would create such sudden animosity: “<em>I gotcha</em>, don't worry."</p><p class="p2">Rufus tenses at the words. Muscles contract, fingers squeeze into fists. His gaze haunts Reno —- it's full of something new, at least in relation to him. His eyes fill Reno with such a fear, he has to distance himself the slightest bit. <em>Hatred</em>. It's a fire in his eyes, a fire in his belly.</p><p class="p2">“Did you know." It's less of a question, more of a statement. <em>A demand</em>.</p><p class="p2">Dark brows nearly meet in the middle of Reno’s face, he's scrunching them so damn hard. He says nothing in return. The look on his face alone should have been answer enough.</p><p class="p2">“Did you know?" Rufus’ voice is weak yet still full of such authority, Reno feels a certain unease when he, yet again, doesn't answer. He's almost offended at the notion, but he has to keep in mind that Rufus certainly isn't in his right mind. Despite that knowledge, Reno still keeps his mouth shut, right hand shoving back into his pocket to fiddle with that cursed piece of jewelry.</p><p class="p2">“Reno,” the name is drenched in venom, "<em>did. you. know</em>." Each statement punctuated with the same hatred in his eyes. He stares at Reno. Straight through his soul, as if he wants the man to hurt, to feel every ounce of everything he himself had been feeling. As if he wanted Reno to suffer.</p><p class="p2">“No." Reno answers gently, despite his own anger rising behind his ribcage. The anger wasn't directed at Rufus; it was <em>Tseng</em>, and that damn hold he had over them both. It wasn't fair. How could he keep such a tight hold on them while also plotting to destroy them at the same time?</p><p class="p2">But then Reno notices the look on the President's face. A look that jabs a knife right between his ribs and he releases the smallest gasp. It's a sneer. Features are screwed up into something terrible, something that makes Reno feel so suddenly alone.</p><p class="p2">“No?" The question is asked and venom seeps from those deadly teeth, that sharp tongue. He looked upon Reno as if he were nothing more than an old toy, a machine that stopped functioning correctly a long time ago. Perhaps Rufus had just been sentimental, too much that he couldn't throw out the old and replace it with new. Something better, something shiny. At least, that's how he looked at Reno. What had actually been going through the President's head? Well, that was yet to be seen.</p><p class="p2">“I told you what I thought, Sir. I had said that -." Reno's interrupted by the sudden rise of Rufus' hand from the pink tinted bath water.</p><p class="p2">“I know what you <em>told</em> me, Reno. That isn't what I asked."</p><p class="p2">“What the fuck do you want me to say then?" He doesn't mean to snap back. He knows that Rufus is in a vulnerable situation right now, made even more-so by the ring still settled in Reno's pocket. He can't stop fidgeting with it. Had the two of them been engaged? He had never heard anything about it, but then again, the both of them were secretive men to a fault. They didn't announce much unless it had to do with the company.</p><p class="p2">Reno hated to think about that: a betrayal in every sense of the word. No wonder he was so damn on-edge.</p><p class="p2">“I want you to tell me the fucking truth, Reno." The volume of his voice rises and Reno swallows hard. There's an attempt to swallow back every emotion that planned to rise to the surface before it explodes in a fit of rage. The last thing he wants to do is get into a screaming match with him. Not now ... Not ever.</p><p class="p2">“I’m gettin' y'out of the tub, Mr President. I told ya I ain't know shit." Reno reaches back to grab the towel hanging from the rack before offering a hand that Rufus begrudgingly takes. After all, there's no way he could do it on his own. Not yet, at least.</p><p class="p4"><span class="s1">After draining the tub and turning on the shower head for a moment or two in order to rinse the remaining blood away, Reno drapes the President's arm around his shoulder and lifts him out of the tub. With every hiss and pained noise from the man, there's a new rage rising in Reno’s stomach. Sure, he was angry with </span>Tseng. He had been angry with Tseng since understanding that he had been the one to cause all of this, but he never really got the chance to think about it. It was just a chaotic anger, an impulsive anger. Now, hearing noises he never thought he would hear fall from the President's lips, Reno suddenly feels the need for revenge.</p><p class="p4">And Gods be dammed, he would get it.</p><p class="p4">But for now, his focus needed to be on Rufus. Even if the President didn't want him or his company, Reno wouldn't give up on him. He wouldn't leave his side, even if he screamed and yelled and told him how much he hated him, Reno would stay loyal and devoted, just as he promised all those years ago.</p><p class="p4">Though, he had to wonder: what the hell was a promise to Rufus now? Tseng broke that entirely, for anyone and everyone. This was something Reno would have to deal with, going forward. Was it fair? No, absolutely not. Did he understand? To a degree. He wondered if he would be the same in the President's situation.</p><p class="p4">Ah, a thought best saved for later. Especially since it seemed as though Rufus had more to say.</p><p class="p4">“Reno." Rufus speaks his name but it doesn't bring the red-head any joy as it usually did. Instead, it's spoken with absolute disdain that makes Reno's stomach turn.</p><p class="p4">“I’m going to ask you again, and you are going to tell me the truth."</p><p class="p4">Perhaps the sigh that left Reno’s mouth was a little too much, but Rufus didn’t even acknowledge it in the slightest. Either he didn’t notice it, or he chose not to.</p><p class="p4">“Did. You. Know." Sure, the words falling from Rufus' mouth were calm enough, but the disgust behind every single one stung Reno in a way he had never felt before. What the hell was he supposed to say? What the hell was he supposed to do?</p><p class="p4">The two of them are on the bed now. Reno had dressed him in a light yet comfortable robe and if he were being honest, he was already starting to look like himself again despite the ordeal happening mere hours before. The scene is nice: in any other situation, it would have been comfortable, but the feel of it is anything but. Instead, the room is heavy with tension; Reno can't stop fidgeting with that fucking piece of jewelry in his pocket.</p><p class="p4">“No," Reno answers again, in his own calm tone, "and if i woulda known, i woulda told ya." He can't sit on the bed anymore. He can't just sit there as if they're two lovers engaging in simple conversation. No, they weren't lovers and this wasn't simple conversation. The possibility of lovers was thrown into the sewers without a single beat of hesitation.</p><p class="p4">“You're a fucking liar. You never were any good at lying." Rufus attempts to stand, but he's unstable and falls right back down on the bed. Reno nears him, an attempt to ask him what he wants, where he wants to go, but hands quickly grasp clothing and Rufus is pulling Reno down so that they're at eye level. Against his better judgement, Reno sits against the bed again and Rufus releases the grip he had on Reno's shirt.</p><p class="p4">“I’m just as broken up over this as you are, Mr President." Alright, maybe that wasn't the right thing to say. There was no way in hell he was even on the same plane of hurt that Rufus was on. “Why would I keep that kind of information away from you?"</p><p class="p4">“Because you're a fucking turk, Reno! That's what you do. That's what all of you slimy bastards do."</p><p class="p4">“Are you kidding me?" Reno's voice shakes as he speaks. It wavers and falls, and he can't help it. He doesn't want to show weakness in front of Rufus, especially not now, but the accusatory statement nearly has him choking. “Until now, every single one of us has been loyal to you —- as a matter of fact, if I remember correctly, you were the one who sided with the enemy for your own selfish cause." He can't stop the words, as much as he wants to. All he wants to do is take Rufus’ abuse, apologize for every accusation, tell Rufus that he's right. Even ask him what right he has to live? But he can't. In every other sense, Reno can roll on his back and show his belly, except for when he's being accused of betraying not only Rufus, but the rest of the Turks as well.</p><p class="p4"><strong><em>No</em></strong>.</p><p class="p4">Where the hell were they? If Reno was the slimy bastard, why was he the one to patch Rufus up and wash away the blood from his wounds? Dress him as if he were incapable, and now ... sitting with him, his own mind spinning one-hundred miles a minute. “It fucking hurts me too, Rufus. I trusted him, y'understand? I trusted him with my fucking life, just like you did. Rude too. I —.” He stops at his own mention of Rude. Oh, he hadn't thought about him since the initial realization, and now his chest tightened. Suddenly, he can't breathe. “Rude went with him..." the words are a whisper, tone crushed by the overwhelming weight of despair.</p><p class="p4"><em>Pick yourself up, red. When in the presence of the president, your thoughts and feelings come last —- he's your concern now. Always has been, if honesty is welcome</em>.</p><p class="p4">But now it's too late to take back those words he flung back at Rufus, his own venomous tongue playing a part. He's on the receiving end of the President's hungry stare —- and it wasn't the type of hunger Reno was used to. No, Rufus wanted blood.</p><p class="p4">“If you didn't want your tongue, all you had to do was tell me." Rufus says with a cool air about him, eyes still trained uncomfortably on the redhead. “Speak to me like that again, and I will assure you go without."</p><p class="p4">All Reno can offer is a nod; if he even chances opening his mouth, he might not be able to stop whatever comes forth. at least for the time being.</p><p class="p4">“Now, I’m going to give you a choice here. You can tell me the truth and I’ll give you a head-start to get out, or you continue lying and I kill you without a moment's hesitation when I learn the <em>truth</em>." He smiles a villain's smile, eyes still burning their way into Reno's very soul.</p><p class="p4">“Y’should already know my answer, boss. I ain't goin' no where cos I ain't done nothin'." He shrugs lazily. There's no more fight in him. The only thing he can say is that he never lied, he never hid it from Rufus. Hell, he never hid <em>anything</em> from Rufus. The moment he felt something was even a little bit off with Tseng, Reno went to the President immediately to tell him that perhaps there should be some extra eyes on the Director. But Rufus didn't listen. How he wanted to bring that up so bad. He wanted to throw that in his face, <em>how the hell can you call me a liar when I was the one who came to you first</em>? Instead of heeding Reno's warnings, Rufus turned a blind eye. even yelled at him to shut up.</p><p class="p4"><em>How dare he even suggest such an idiotic notion</em>.</p><p class="p4">’Fine, fine!' He would say, with hands up in surrender. And he would say nothing more on the subject. It upset Rufus so —- he wondered how bad it would kill him if Reno's speculations ever came true ... well, now we have our answer, don't we?</p><p class="p4">“Get out of my sight."</p><p class="p4">Reno wants to argue, to tell him that he really shouldn't be alone, considering his current predicament, but the President's face is so full of pure, unadulterated hatred, Reno would honestly rather be anywhere else.</p><p class="p4">“Get the fuck out of my sight, and don't you dare show your face until you're ready to tell me what I want to hear." He doesn't bother looking at Reno as the words leave his mouth. Only raises an arm to motion at the door, and like the good dog he is, Reno obeys without argument.</p><p class="p4">“See ya never I guess, boss." And with that, Rufus is alone once more. The silence, at first, is a relaxing embrace that he falls into without issue. But as time continues on, the silence twists into something damming, something despicable. How long has he been sitting there in his robe, allowing the silence to consume him?</p><p class="p4">And outside of his door, there's a certain redhead standing careful watch. His head is empty, his heart too. His body is numb and then he finally wonders if this is all maybe a really fucked up dream or maybe it's some crazy ass training simulation. You know, to create some kind of action plan should the worst occur. But he shakes his head, a clipped chuckle falls from those pretty lips, "this ain't no dream," he says to himself, clapping his EMR against the side of his leg in slight anxiety, "<em>so keep your head up, red</em>, cos it ain’t gonna get any better anytime soon.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Burn It Down</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rude thinks about the past and the one he hurt the most and wonders if this is all worth it.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>loud sweating .......... it's been a hot minute since i wrote fanfiction, so the pacing might feel a little off :(</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A pained hiss echoes through the small bathroom as the dark-haired man drags a warm cloth over a few open wounds, washing the blood away with ease. 'I probably deserve this,' Tseng thinks to himself, 'this and a whole lot more.' One would think such a thought of guilt might bring a feeling of guilt to follow with a sullen expression, but instead, Tseng is smiling at himself in the dirty mirror. Was it an act to cover up just how guilty he felt? Was it nothing more than a confident mask? And perhaps that dark chuckle leaving his lips could be chalked up to the same; maybe he was going mad? Maybe the guilt was just too much for him, that he had finally lost his mind. After all, that had to be easier than facing the fact that he betrayed not only the man he had planned to marry, but also everything he had ever known ... Right? Well, maybe that was the story Reno was spinning in his head while preparing breakfast for a still broken Rufus Shinra, but for Tseng, it was much different and far more simpler. </p>
<p>That confident smirk on his face was not that of guilt, and the laugh that bounced off of ceramic walls was not that of a madman. He was pleased with himself for doing what he had planned to do from the very beginning. Rufus Shinra was always a pain in his ass, especially during those four gods forsaken years he had played the role of babysitter. Though, things started to become easier. He found himself actually liking the man and his company as they grew older together. As trust began to form and a relationship was soon to follow, Tseng found himself actually falling for this man he had been planning to kill. For a short while, he had decided not to go through with the plan anymore. To tell his hidden contacts that they would have to find someone else, and even if they did, Tseng would stop them anyway —- but that never happened. He never got to make that phone call. He never got to say those words and spare his lover. More years went on and as the honeymoon phase wore off between the two lovebirds, things started to go back to the same routine. Once more, Tseng was nothing more than Rufus Shinra's prized bodyguard. His own personal hound, second to Darknation. There was no communication between the two outside of work related instances, the time spent with one another was always focused on work, and the fighting grew even more heated than it had in the past. </p>
<p>Tseng had come to the conclusion that Rufus was simply growing tired of him, when in reality, both were at fault for their failing relationship. In an attempt to emotionally distance himself from the President, Tseng ended up distancing himself entirely from everything. Rude had been the only one to bring attention to this, in private, of course, and so Tseng confided in the man. Knowing Reno was far too close to Rufus to keep Tseng's deep and dark past a secret, the hot-headed Turk was left out. </p>
<p>Did Rude enjoy what he heard? Absolutely not. Hearing that Tseng had planned to betray them all along had his stomach turning into knots and he was ready to call Reno as soon as Tseng left him alone, so that the two of them could bring their evidence to Rufus. But then Tseng said something he wasn't expecting to hear: <i>Come with me.</i></p>
<p>Suddenly, Rude could hear his own heart pumping so very loudly in his ears. It was so loud, it felt like he was under a waterfall. The blood rushing through his body sounded like water crashing against rock. His anxiety spiked —- he really thought he might puke. But then it all washed away as soon as Tseng's hand fell against his shoulder. He shouldn't have been comforted by this sneaky bastard and his corrupted touch. Why did Tseng bring him comfort after telling him such an awful thing? It was hard for Rude to admit, especially in that moment, but he had always looked up to Tseng. He had always thought he knew best, even better than Rufus Shinra himself. Hell, better than all of the Directors, really. His ideas just seemed to work better, he made more sense, and he always had a plan followed by at least eight more backup plans. Tseng was the smartest man Rude had ever known</p>
<p>"I'll need time to think." Was Rude's cool reply to which Tseng shook his head.</p>
<p>"You will tell me right now, or you will be my enemy. If I give you time, how do I know you aren't sneaking behind my back the moment I walk away?" </p>
<p>Rude thought for a moment, his demeanor neutral and unchanging, even when Tseng removed his hand from his shoulder in a violent recoil. "If you thought I would turn tail and run that easily," Rude began with that ever confident air about him, "then you wouldn't have asked me in the first place." </p>
<p>Tseng's face quickly twisted into something a little more ominous. Into something a little more hysterical, and then suddenly: a barked laugh. In response, Rude inhaled a sharp breath, nervous about what that reaction meant. </p>
<p>"You raise a fair point." Tseng agreed with him, although it didn't erase the anxiety he felt regarding the situation. Allowing Rude to walk away without having given Tseng an answer was risky, but at his core, he did trust Rude. He had never given Tseng any reason not to trust him, and he doubted he would start now. </p>
<p>And so there they were, a year and a half later, stuck together in some shoddy inn, after doing the unspeakable. Tseng, with his bandaged arm, sat haphazardly against the edge of the bed, watching Rude from the corner of his eye just to see if he would offer any reaction. Any giveaway in his facial expression that he might not be strong enough to continue with Tseng. If that had been the case, Tseng would have to dispose of him right then and there. Fortunately for himself, Rude was feeling quite neutral regarding the events, except of course when he thought of Reno. He knew he hurt Reno beyond compare, and he knew Tseng did too. Reno looked up to Tseng in so many ways, and that admiration and love he had for the director Turk was ripped from him in a matter of moments. These feelings didn't just dissolve away. They didn't disappear naturally; they were taken by force. Ripped like a bandaid and now the wound it created was festering and weeping. </p>
<p><i>Poor Reno</i>.</p>
<p>It was really the only thing on Rude's mind once he thought more about all of it, and he wondered if Rufus and his wellbeing was on Tseng's mind at all. </p>
<p>He didn't have to wait very long for the answer, nor did he even need to ask at all as Tseng released a gentle sigh next to him. "Do you think he bled out?"</p>
<p>Rude felt his shoulders tighten at the question. His body felt tense. "Doubtful." Rude was never a man of too many words. He preferred to keep things simple and to the point as to not make any mistakes or say too much. An observant man, Rude had always been that way. Too many times had he seen people talk themselves right into a corner and land themselves in hot water. Not Rude, though. Never Rude. </p>
<p>"Good. Very good." </p>
<p>For a moment, Rude had to question if Tseng was wanting to go back and try to right his wrongs. Not wanting Rufus to bleed out? So, he wanted him alive. Perhaps he did feel more regret than he let on, but there was something very unsettling about the tone of his voice. Something unnerving. Almost as if there was a hint of glee behind the simple statement, but for all of the wrong reasons. There was no relief to be heard, but instead, some sadistic desire. </p>
<p>"Sir?" There was no reason to ask for clarification, and once Tseng answered him, Rude wished he wouldn't have asked in the first place.</p>
<p>"I would be disappointed if this little game of ours was finished so soon, but it seems another round of cat and mouse is in order." With that, Tseng rises from the shitty little bed to stand in front of the mirror. Honey whiskey eyes stare back, and he smirks that devilish little smirk. "We'll give them time to recuperate, of course. It wouldn't be fun otherwise." Tseng makes sure to throw a glance at his Turk behind him through the mirror if only to once again observe his reactions and facial expressions. </p>
<p>Neutral as always. </p>
<p>"And us, of course. Rest is important, Rude." </p>
<p>He heard him loud and clear, and he even met his eyes once he felt them staring through the mirror, but he didn't have much to say. This time, it wasn't to cover his own ass. He was simply stunned into silence. There was nothing to say, at least not when Reno wouldn't leave his mind. That was something he would have to fix if he was to pledge his loyalty to Tseng and only Tseng. It certainly wouldn't be easy, but there was really no other choice, so with a long and slow exhale, Rude lifts himself from the bed as well to join Tseng in front of the mirror. Shoulder to shoulder the men stood. Tseng staring at Rude, and Rude staring straight ahead. Not really at himself, but more-so <i>through</i> himself. </p>
<p>"If we're going to do this right," Rude finally speaks with a forced confidence, "we are going to need to come up with a plan. A plan that spans more than a few weeks, and then also backup plans." </p>
<p>Tseng nodded along with each word that Rude spoke, pleased that he was thinking ahead. He seemed to be on the same page, and that alone brought Tseng a new sense of relief. The last thing he needed was to be stabbed in the back by the one person he counted on. </p>
<p>"We also can't stay here, but I'm sure you know that." </p>
<p>Indeed, Tseng did know that. They wouldn't be able to stay in just one place the entire time. They needed to keep moving if they were to stay under the radar. Their only saving grace was the fact that knowledge of the Turks didn't really exist. Common people had no idea who they were, so outing them to the public would also out the Shinra Electric Power Company, which is something Rufus Shinra would never do. Anything to save his name. So all of the investigative work would have to be done by the company alone and other Turks. </p>
<p>Tseng couldn't help but to smile again, this time at Rude. In his mind, their plans would come together perfectly and they would always end up on top, no matter what. Tseng was smart. He was cunning, and he was charming. If he couldn't sneak his way out of a situation, he could certainly charm and con his way out of one. </p>
<p>"I sure hope that man has some cards up his sleeve, because he is definitely going to need them." </p>
<p>Again, Tseng's tone and words unsettled Rude. He had already begun speaking of Rufus as if he was just some common enemy. As if the two of them didn't spend nearly every waking moment with one another. As if they weren't ever engaged. Gods, that was terrifying. If Tseng could  spin an entire lie around years and years worth of so-called love, that man was capable of so much more. It made Rude wonder exactly what the director Turk would do with him once this was all over. Once Rufus was dead, or once Tseng got bored. Would he dispose of him so easily? As if he never existed? Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn't. That wasn't for Rude to decide, and it wasn't for him to worry about in the present time. The only thing he needed to worry about was their next course of action.</p>
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